Through the Looking Glass
by September Wolves
Summary: SLASH Follows along with the movie.River is a fellow coworker of Jake's and during their first visit he gets left behind in Pandora.Unfortunately it wasn't Neytiri who picked him up.It was Tsu'tey.Trouble follows.Details inside.OC
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This is my first time writing a fanfiction for Avatar. Please be nice and read it patiently. I'm not so sure if I should continue.**

**Note: River is my Own Character. aside from him, the rest don't belong to me.**

SUM: SLASH Follows along with the movie. River is a fellow coworker of Jake's and during their first visit; he gets trapped alone in Pandora. Unfortunately it wasn't Neytiri who picked him up. It was Tsu'tey and due to River's stubborn streak, they do not get along fine. PAIRINGS: Tsu'tey X River -------Jake X Neytiri

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**One**

The first time I had set my eyes on Pandora was when I was still a ten year old boy. Since then, it had always been my dream to become part of the RDA Corporation and finally visit the beautiful planet and see it with my own eyes. And now my dream finally came true.

"Keep that mask on at all times, River." The voice broke me out of the day dream and I blinked up at Jake. I guess I'm still not used to his blue skin and tall frame yet. I nodded slowly.

"Yeah, thanks Jake." I muttered and stepped off the Samson with ease. It had taken months to convince them I was ready to accompany them on the mission. Even though I wasn't allowed my own Avatar until the training finishes but at least I could come in person.

The fans whirled overhead and I took a look around, my heart beating faster in excitement. Dr. Augustine was giving a few late instructions to Jake and I ventured toward one of the extremely colorful flowers. The color… surely the color wasn't normal… I took a step forward and poked it with the end of the pistol. There was a loud swooshing sound and suddenly the plant was gone, in its place a gaping hole of smooth glowing slime.

**Rule no.1: Don't poke pretty looking flowers on Pandora. **

Too late now.

I didn't even get to take a breath before the ground gave out from under my feet and I slid down the small tunnel with a muffled shout. I doubt Jake can hear me even if I screamed my throat raw. Besides, that would not look good on my resume. I was supposed to act like a professional instead of screaming like a particularly drunk girl. The tunnel was bumpy and not in the least bit comfortable. I remembered losing my weapon somewhere along the tunnel as I popped out of the other end with a nasty smack.

There was the flower again. No wait, my eyes followed the flower to the tail, then the long powerful hind legs and the spiked ridges on the back and the face… let's just say he isn't the prettiest flower on the planet.

Oh gods, I think I just peed myself.

In the back of my head, I vaguely remembered the words the drill sergeant had said to me during my first training with the guard dogs. Needless to say, I was mauled by them and had to get a few stitches on my ass when the dog decided to chew on my pearly moons.

"_Don't show your fear because they can smell it. Just look them in the eye and back off slowly." _

I gulped and searched its head for the eyes. Great, which eye was I supposed to look into, serge? The fucking monster had four god damn eyes each the size of my fist. It growled and the spikes on its back shook with a sound similar to a rattle snake's tail. I took a deep breath and focused my eyes on the left eye nearest to me.

"Good puppy?" I managed to squeeze out before I lost my nerves and made a mad dash for the slimy hole I had come through. The tail rushed forward and caught me in the stomach, knocking the breath out of my lungs. Dear god, I'm going to be eaten on my first time on my version of 'Dreamland'. I didn't even get to say goodbye to my girlfriend!

My body was practically flung into the air but before the gaping mouth closed over me, something jerked my body upward and it took me a moment to realize I was flying farther away from the gaping mouth. Man, I'm fucking flying! Maybe there's a leak somewhere in the breathing mask and I'm getting high from the toxins in the air. Or am I already dead? I chanced a glance up at my rescuer, screamed and started thrashing wildly.

The blue skinned rider growled loudly and gave a series of sharp clicks before the flying beast dropped me. I kept trying to remember the name of the flying beast as I fell, trying not to contemplate my gruesome death. Man, are the guys back on Earth gonna be proud of me…

I tried to flap my arms and change the speed of my fall. It didn't work too well until I saw the body of water in from of me. There was a clear blue waterfall in between the expanse of trees and greenery. Surely the rate of survival would be higher if I landed in water. Hopefully it was a waterfall of acid. I made a swan dive for the water and remembered to take a deep breath before the cold hit me.

It was like being punched by a bunch of ice cubes seeking revenge. The air rushed out of my lungs as the mask slipped from my face. I grabbed the thing as it floated past me with a stream of bubbles. My precious oxygen was leaking. I pressed the mask full of water over my face and coughed as I choked on the water. The bitterly sweet flavor made my eyes water as the current carried me off. The bag and the communication devices were pulling me down so I struggled out of the weight and made one last attempt at surfacing the water. My face broke through the cold surface of the water and I pulled the mask full of water off my face, letting the fluids rush out before sealing it again. For a few seconds, I let the water carry my numb body and breathed in a few gulps of precious air. It never tasted sweeter.

**Rule No 2: On Pandora, it's best not to get lost.**

After a few minutes of aimless floating, I struggled with my limbs. The cold was making me dizzy and my pants were soaked through. I wasn't so sure if I had peed myself.

The current swept me to the shallow side of the cold river and I managed to grab a piece of rock and pull myself onto solid land. Water streamed off my wet clothes and they clung to my body like a second skin, but I was on solid land. Thank god. If I manage to survive this, I promise to go to church every Sunday.

After a few more minutes of self pitying on the rock, I pulled myself up on shaky legs and took a few unsteady steps into the forest. The sound of water became somehow louder as I walked further away from the river. Maybe the water was poisonous…

Then I saw him, standing under the thick stream of translucent water, his long mane of dark braids hanging down the muscular back. Water slid over his pale blue skin, the muscles moving gracefully under the skin.

And he was completely naked.

I forced my tense muscles to respond as I stepped away from the smaller waterfall, the sound of water slowly becoming louder behind me. I was terrified he would be able to hear my heart thumping inside my chest. Then there was a loud snap as I stepped on a branch. The trees near me rustled as insects of every color exploded out of the bushes. Just give me a hole and I swear I would crawl into it for free.

I contemplated on trying to run but the sound of the male voice behind me made me freeze. The tall Na'vi stepped out of the trees thankfully clothed now and I felt my legs weaken as he stepped forward, a bow raised and the arrow pointed at me. i felt my mouth go dry. All those years of training left me with nothing but fear on my mind. The survival methods, the few phrases I learned in their language, the energy to fight for my life, they were all gone. Just replaced by a single emotion.

Fear.

The golden eyes narrowed at me and he opened his mouth and hissed. "Human." The Na'vi spat out in disgust, his nostrils flaring in disgust.

I tried to think of any catchy phrases to spare me from my gruesome death at the hands of that sharp sharp arrow. Yes I'm a coward and I don't like dying. It's too cliché for me to endure. Besides, even if I should die, here should be women crying as background music.

"Why are you on our lands?" the blue haired giant demanded and I flinched inwardly. "Well?!" he asked, jabbing the bow at me warningly. The arrow had been placed back in its sheath when he realized I had no weapon to defend myself.

"I…I need to find Grace, Grace Augustine. She will know what to do…can you take me there?" I almost mumbled to myself. His eyes flared in surprise, and then a grudging look passed over his face. I took a deep breath and tried my best at a pair of puppy eyes and breathed out "please…"

The unsure expression turned into one of disgust and he turned away from me. "No."

**Rules No 3&4: Don't disturb a guy when he's showering and ask him for a favor later. The pitiful puppy eyes don't work on the Na'vi, at least the male population. **

If I had a notebook, I would have written it all down but no I didn't. It's a pity.

"Wait, please!" I struggled to my feet and grabbed his elbow without thinking and the tall alien hissed in anger, pushing me back. I took a shaking breath and tried to force the panic down. "Please... I won't harm anyone. I…I just want to go back home."

The footsteps stopped and I looked up to see the Na'vi looking down at me with an expression of disgust. Then his face went slack as he focused his eyes behind me. I turned and stared. There was a small squid-looking thing with tentacles hovering over my left shoulder. I gave a rather girly scream and flicked it away with a hand.

"Fucking mutated mosquitoes!"

"Don't do that!" the sharp command made me go still as the Na'vi took a deep breath, his face exasperated. "Alright, I will tell you where she is. But I have a challenge first. Tame my direhorse first and I will take you to her myself."

"You're on!" I yelled without thinking and struggled to my feet. The Na'vi gave a devious smirk and nodded.

Wait; hang on what was a direhorse anyway?

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**What do you think? Leave a review please!** =)


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: This is my first time writing a fanfiction for Avatar. Please be nice and read it patiently. Leave a nice review please! =)  
**

**Note: River is my Own Character and the plot belongs to me. aside from him, the rest don't belong to me.**

SUM: SLASH Follows along with the movie. River is a fellow coworker of Jake's and during their first visit; he gets trapped alone in Pandora. Unfortunately it wasn't Neytiri who picked him up. It was Tsu'tey and due to River's stubborn streak, they do not get along fine. PAIRINGS: Tsu'tey X River -------Jake X Neytiri

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**Two**

**Conclusion: My ability to make stupid choices is astounding. **

I gulped and stared up at the tall not horse-ish thing standing in front of me. In the back of my head, I vaguely remembered the textbooks on the creatures of Pandora. The horse was supposed to eat flower nectar right? So what was there to be afraid of?

Well, for one thing, it's practically the size of a small house and my eyes are like to the level of its knobby knees. Is it my imagination or is this one particularly big? I turned slowly to give the tall Na'vi a sideway glance and he smirked again, eyes sparkling maliciously. I suddenly felt his personality was no better than the other peers on Earth. Were the Na'vi all like him? I felt my shoulders slump as the familiar feeling of being lost came back to me fully. Here I was again, not sure what to do. The dream I had been holding onto for dear life was leaving me behind. I had hoped to find a home on Pandora and get a fresh new start. Like a rebirth from my filthy life back on Earth. It seemed almost impossible now. I took a deep breath and lowered my eyes to the ground, feeling them blur with tears.

No, men don not cry.

I flung the tears off my face angrily with my hand and looked up into the golden eyes of the beast in front of me. It stared back down at me, its narrow face expressionless, not that I was expecting a welcoming hug and a smile.

I searched my memories for the information I needed to tame the so-called horse. Something about hair and antenna flashed across my mind and I reached up to yank at my buzz cut. The blond fuzz was so short I couldn't even gather it together. I turned to see the tall Na'vi male snort at my expression. His skin glittered from the millions of water drops still clinging to his body, his long hair casually draped over one broad shoulder. The bow was strapped to his back.

I sighed. There was no chance I would escape so I squared my shoulders and looked up at it. A foolish thought entered my head and for a moment I considered the chance that my mother might have dropped me on my head quite a few times in my childhood, not that I could remember her face. She died a long time ago.

_"In order to earn its approval, you have to respect it first."_ My drilling serge's words echoed through my head once again. His word on backing away didn't help last time so why should I listen now? Oh what the hell, you're going to be the death of me, Sergeant Jones.

"I'm not going to hurt you…not gonna hurt you…" I reached out a trembling hand and slowly tried to put my finger tips on the tall horse's head. Of course that part took me some effort and I had to stand on my tiptoes because the horse was as mean as its owner and didn't lower its head an inch. There were a few millimeters between me and the horse's muzzle when the tall Na'vi leaning casually against a rock suddenly gave several sharp clicks and the horse head butted me hard. Star exploded in my vision and I felt back a few steps and landed on my butt. The ground was soggy near the river and mud splattered over the breathing mask. I growled when the sound of his deep laughter floated over to me and wiped the glass surface as I stood. I straightened my mask and stepped closer again. The horse focused its eyes on me and snorted, its front four hooves pounded the dirt in front of me.

I took a deep breath and sent a silent prayer to the heavens as I took a flying leap at the horse. My chin connected with the hard back of the animal and a bitter metallic tang informed me I had bitten my cheek. My legs flailed as the animal reared up and took off running. My mouth was in pain and I spat out a mouthful of reddish saliva, pulled my mask back on before clinging to the back tighter. It was the fastest horse I had ever ridden. Wind rushed past my face and ears and I pressed my face against the grayish blue neck of the animal as it tore deeper into the forest. I whispered a few words to try and calm it down but it only went faster. I held on for dear life. Soon the clearing by the river came rushing back in bright colors and the horse reared up again, its body almost standing on the hind two hooves. I finally let go and allowed myself to fall back onto the hard muddy ground. I grinned up at the sunlight and closed my eyes, letting my body go limp.

I blinked when a slimy soft tongue licked my ear and opened my eyes. The tall animal was bent over me and licking a trail of saliva over my breathing mask. I let out a small whoop and wrapped my arms around the long slender face and pressed my forehead against it.

"That's enough." The flat voice to the left made me turn and the horse trotted back to its owner. The Na'vi had an annoyed expression on his face as he leaned down to speak to the horse, his voice extra loud and meaning for me to hear. "You must be feeling quite ill today to let a human ride you without a struggle."

I clenched my teeth and felt a flash of anger burn through me. He patted the horse on the neck and turned to lead it into the forest, completely ignoring me. I glared and grabbed a handful of mud, took aim and threw it at the tall native without thinking clearly.

"You're just a sore loser!" I shouted as the mud smacked him in the back of his head, his long shiny black braids now dripping brown mud. The broad shoulders stiffened as he turned around with a glowering look that could kill.

"Who do you think you are, human?!" he hissed and stalked toward me. I took in the detail that his impressive look didn't weaken even though he had a handful of mud dripping down his face. The Na'vi raised a hand as if to strike me but he froze as another one of those small jellyfish things floated over my face. Where did they come from? How come they can just pop up out of nowhere?

More and more came from all around and settled over my arms and hair, pulsing gently. Their little tentacles tickled as they brushed over my face. His face went hard as he drew his hand back with a disgusted look.

Suddenly the sound of a roar broke through the silence and the glow things scattered as birds of every color flew out of the trees and the tall Na'vi growled in annoyance. His face was stony as he hauled me to my feet and threw me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, wrinkling his nose. Did I smell bad?

He threw himself over the horse and connected the end of his braid with the horse's antenna. Oh right, that was how you did it. I struggled to ease myself onto the back of the horse and he allowed me grudgingly to slide behind him. The horse was fast and the ride was bumpy so I tried to wrap my arms around his waist but that only got me a hard smack and an angry hiss. I glowered and removed my burning hands and tried to grab onto something.

"Tsu'tey." He suddenly said. I blinked.

"Come again?"

The Na'vi growled impatiently. "The name is Tsu'tey."

I realized he was telling me his name and smiled. "Oh, well I'm River." I whispered to his stiff back and grinned. "Nice to meet you, Tootsie"

He gave me a glare over his shoulder. "It's Tsu'tey not Tootsie."

I nodded obediently and the rest of the ride was done in silence. By the time we arrived at his home, it was already nighttime and my eyes were wide as dinner plates. The night was lit by a thousand glowing plants. My eyes scanned over the beautiful things in awe. Then the sound of hooves reached my ears I froze at the prospect of meeting more hostile glares but Tsu'tey said something in the native tongue and the other riders emerged around us, their golden eyes curious and some hostile. I held my head stubbornly high and ignored them.

The sound of a female's voice came from somewhere nearby and I heard a familiar voice reply slowly. Suddenly the horse underneath me gave a hard lurch forward and I saw Jake's tall blue form with a graceful female standing next to him. She stiffened when Tsu'tey hissed something and before I could do anything, she drew the bow from her back and fitted and arrow inside. My eyes widened as the arrow rushed at me in a blur of yellow. Suddenly a blue blur flash in front of my face and the sharp tip of the arrow quivered in front of my face. It was merely inches from my face when it was stopped by Tsu'tey's fist. The Na'vi riding in front of me caught the arrow casually with his left arm. I went cross-eyed as I took in the sharp tip.

It was too much and the last thing I saw before blackness took over was the surprise on Tsu'tey's face as I slid off the horse.

The ground is damn hard. I think I broke my jaw.

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**What do you think? Leave a review please!** =)


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: This is my first time writing a fanfiction for Avatar. Please be nice and read it patiently. Leave a nice review please! =)  
**

**Note: River is my Own Character and the plot belongs to me. aside from him, the rest don't belong to me.**

SUM: SLASH Follows along with the movie. River is a fellow coworker of Jake's and during their first visit; he gets trapped alone in Pandora. Unfortunately it wasn't Neytiri who picked him up. It was Tsu'tey and due to River's stubborn streak, they do not get along fine. PAIRINGS: Tsu'tey X River -------Jake X Neytiri

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**Three**

"I will not accept this." The cold voice shook me from the dark confines of my mind and I felt the heat of the sun worm its way though my closed lids. I growled in annoyance and shielded my face from the sharp light and turned over onto my side, wrapping my arms around the cool smooth pillow next to my face and sighed, my mind already slipping back into oblivion.

A soft bell-like laugh sounded somewhere close by. "See, the Atokirina' do not lie. They have chosen you to guide him, just as Neytiri was chosen to guide Jake Sully."

My eyes snapped open at Jake's name and froze. My arms were wrapped around the 'pillow' which led to… my eyes followed the smooth muscular arm to the stiff shoulders and finally fell on Tsu'tey's face. The tall Na'vi looked like he had swallowed something nasty and ripped his arm away from me. I glanced around and felt panic rise up. It was the second day already. The oxygen mask was probably running low.

I cleared my throat and tried to speak. "Where…where is Jake?"

The female Na'vi sitting next to Tsu'tey answered my question by pointing. I stared past the leaves and thick branches of the tall Hometree. Sunlight danced across the vibrant green leaves and sent glittering pieces of gold down onto the forest floor. Jake's awkwardly tall form was half sprawled in the mud a couple of feet away. I watched as he shook the dirt from his face and tried unsuccessfully to mount the Na'vi native horse. Without my noticing, the female had stepped up to my side and was looking down at Jake as well.

"The wood sprites choose you and Jake Sully. We will try to teach you the ways of our kind." She said softly next to me. I blinked and stared up at her regal face with clear shock.

"But…but my avatar won't be ready in three more weeks…" I began. She cut me off and smiled again.

"It is the will of our goddess. Tsu'tey will be teaching you how to adapt to our world." She shot me an amused smile. "I heard of your impressive training of Tsu'tey's mount. That horse is as stubborn and proud as his owner. I'm impressed with you, River."

I ducked my head with a small frown, feeling my cheeks flush uncomfortably. She reminded me of the mother I never recalled. The sound of an indignant snort behind me made me turn. The tall Na'vi standing behind me gave me another scornful look and turned, smoothly swinging himself off the thick branch. He landed gracefully, beaded hair swinging behind his broad shoulders.

"I will not respect you until you've earned it, human." He shot back at me without even turning around. For a moment I watched his retreating back, the lost feeling coming back again. Then a hand fell on my shoulder.

"Grace Augustine has been worried about you. She wants you to be back by high noon. Until then…" The older female smiled at me slightly before giving me a gentle push toward the direction where Tsu'tey had gone. I hesitated before squaring my shoulders and carefully slipping off the thick branch and down onto the next one. It was kind of fun and I threw myself off the next branch, letting my body go airborne for a moment before reaching for a nearby vine.

My eyes widened as the vine shied away from my fingers. My fist closed around thin air. Great. Taking one last look down, I let out a scream of panic and plummeted straight down.

**Tsu'tey POV**

The water felt good on my overheated skin and I let the cool stream wash over my face instead of drinking it down. Neytiri would have been mad if she saw me wasting it. I sighed and let the leaves slip back into place and wiped my wet face, flinging the drops everywhere. How could she? How could Mo'at assign me to teach that stupid human our ways? They have shown their disrespect to our kind so many times before but now she was suddenly willing to try again?

He would be no different. I scowled as I recalled the embarrassing scene from yesterday. The human, River, had thrown a handful of mud at the back of my head. I had to give it to him. No one dared to mess with me so easily but he was something else… his posture sent off rebellious waves.

Bold and different.

No, he's just the same as the other low creatures. I shook my head and slipped past the leaves, my head still full of thoughts. The loud scream took me by surprise. It came out of nowhere and became increasingly loud and before I could react, the purple leaf next to me suddenly dipped in a big explosion of water droplets, showering me all over the second time that day. Only I didn't want it this time.

Before I could step away, the figure rolled out of the leaves and fell straight on top of me. I knew who it was the moment I smelt him. He was still screaming his small lungs out, his eyes screwed shut. It reminded me of a small Na'vi child having a tantrum. The noise continued until I slapped his head. The sound wavered off into a question-like noise and he opened his eyes.

We both froze.

Our faces were close and I suddenly noticed his eyes were a dark bluish color with a hint of a darker purple. There were lighter gold specks here and there. His eyes were like no other human I have met. Thick yellow lashes fluttered in panic and he suddenly tried to struggle away from me. We ended up in a messy tangle of limbs and I was in an even fouler mood when he kicked me in the shin quite a few times. And suddenly he stopped, his breathing heavy and head ducked down. I saw the tips of his ears redden. He suddenly looked up and opened his mouth, expression confused.

"Why…"

"That's enough for today, Jake Sully. Let me show you something. On our planet, everything has a cycle; we have to give back what we borrow from nature… " the sound of Neytiri's voice broke through the silence and she pushed her way into the clearing. Her eyes flickered to my face and to the figure sitting in my lap before she smirked.

Great, the holy princess has come up with another wrong conclusion.

"Not doing our job here are we, Tsu'tey?" she reached down and poked my cheek with a finger while the other human avatar stood by with a slightly puzzled look. I hissed softly and pushed the smaller human off me.

"Fine your highness, I will begin now." I said to her stiffly. She frowned and I smirked inside. Neytiri hated when people called her 'highness'. I stood and drew my bow off my back before sliding an arrow into it. I drew my arm back and let the arrow fly off into the trees.

I turned and gave the human a leveled stare. "In order to learn our ways, you have to be familiar with our lands. Retrieve the arrow." I said to him and couldn't help but smirk when his mouth dropped open with a muffled click.

"River, don't…" the other one gave him a worried look. But the small human surprised me by suddenly grinning and pushing the concerned hand back.

"No worries, Jake. A man has to throw his life to the winds some times, or I won't have the guts to do anything. I'll get it back in time for lunch." He turned and smiled at his comrade's avatar form. Then he turned to me. "Oh and Tsu'tey, thanks for catching me."

He winked at my speechless expression and raced off into the leaves, leaving me to stare after the rustling leaves.

Yes, River is quite bold indeed. I think he might not be too intolerable. If he uses his brain to guild his actions, that is.

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**What do you think?this chapter was kinda hard to write. Leave a review please!** =)


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Another update! Enjoy and review! I love every one of your lovely reviews! Thanks!**

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**Four**

"Grace said my avatar will be ready in one week." I said to my feet as I swung them over the thick branch I was sitting on. The tall Na'vi opposite me didn't reply and went on with his work. I watched him bind another piece of slim wood together and quickly tie the arrow together.

"Ah, what are you doing?" I asked in a pathetic attempt to make a conversation. Tsu'tey looked up with a flat stare before turning back to the knot he was tying. "Ok…awkward silence…" I muttered and ducked my head, running my hands over my longer spikes of blond hair. I hadn't had time to cut it when I got back to the base.

It had been happening so fast. Nobody knew me before that strange day in Pandora when I slid down the slime tunnel, which I later learned was coated in some sort of acid-based stomach fluids. So it had been a lucky guess to fall into the waterfall. Lucky me, huh? Then after I arrived back at the base and met the corporate administrator for the RDA mining operation, Selfridge. He had been ecstatic to hear that the natives had allowed both Jake and I into their Hometree. And now the scientists were throwing all other operations aside to work on my avatar. Unfortunately I haven't been able to lay my eyes on it yet.

"Need some help with that knot you're trying to tie?" I asked when Tsu'tey made an annoyed noise in the back of his throat.

"No, River. I don't need _your_ help."

"Ok, I'll take that as a yes then." I said, ignoring his burning glare as I made my way over. My body was sore and it was very painful to move. Tsu'tey, like the other natives, moved with unnatural grace and speed. I was about the height of a small mushroom and the trees were slippery under my army boots so I have had my fair share of bruises and bumps.

But I have achieved one thing in my hell training on Pandora for the two weeks I've been here. I made Tsu'tey laugh. Well, once at least. Why, you ask? Well, I suppose it's funny when you land on your crotch when you're falling down from a height of over twenty feet. Well I can tell you from my point of view. No it isn't funny at all. It fucking hurt like hell. Ever had your tonsils removed with an ice-cream scoop? Well it was a thousand times worse and I couldn't walk for two days after that incident.

"See, your fingers are too big for the strings." I murmured as I slid my fingers over the thin willow-like strands and pulled back after making a complicated knot. "There, that wasn't too bad, now was it?" I grinned at him and he raised an eyebrow at my expression before going back for the next arrow. I kept my eyes on him as I sat back with a pleased feeling. The piece of wood behind me shifted and slithered off before I could stop myself.

His hand shot out before I had the chance to grab onto something. My arm was almost yanked out of its socket as he dragged me back onto the thick branch without a word.

"Thanks…" I muttered and let out a shaky breath as I rotated my arm. His fingers were cool on my skin and I frowned when I saw the red smudge on my shirt. "Hey, Tsu'tey, is your hand bleeding?" I demanded and moved closer. He shook his head without looking up and went on. I glared stubbornly and reached out to grab his hand. They didn't call me a stubborn mule for nothing.

"Ow…" my hand came back red and flaring in pain. He glared as he looked up, his hair rattling as the beads shifted. I reached out my hand again and grabbed his hand. "You could get it infected and it would swell and pus will come out and you'll have to cut it off so let me see it before I do something we'll both regret."

I felt very pleased when he sat back and gave me his hand. I went over to a plant and washed my hands in the fluids gathering in the leaves before I came back. After a while, I fumbled out the pack of Band-Aids in my left pocket and taped a few onto the thin angry mark gently.

"There, that wasn't so hard. See, we can get along if you stop acting so…oww." My hand still hurt from his slap. No wait, it wasn't from the slap. I watched as they swelled slowly, the redness starting to show more prominently.

"If you're lucky, they only have to cut it off." Tsu'tey said in a dry voice.

I looked up and gulped thickly. "Tell me you're kidding…"

**Note to self (No. I can't remember): Don't wash your hands in suspicious liquids on Pandora.**

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"What happened to your hands?" Grace asked as we stepped into the plane. My hands were wrapped in the strange bandages Tsu'tey gave me and truth to say; I still can't feel any of my fingers.

Well, hopefully, that's not going to stop your line of work. How do you feel, are the oxygen masks working fine?" Grace asked with a smile. I nodded and followed her to the seat. The ride back was almost half an hour and I almost fell asleep on the way. Jake was oddly silent the whole way, looking out the window with a spaced-out look.

"They have your avatar ready a bit earlier than we planned. It's a bit different from what we expected but they checked twice and the procedures were the same so there shouldn't be a major problem with it." Grace said as she punched in the code for the labs. I frowned. What did she mean by different?

"So, when will I actually get to test it out?" I asked as I helped Jake past the step. He gave me a smile of thanks and wheeled himself in. I followed slowly.

"Well, the thing is that most people can hardly move coordinately in their avatar for the first time so we have to help you get used to it before you can actually take it to Pandora. You have to get used to the limbs and tail and so on. Come on in and take a look…" she pushed open the thick glass door and gave me a smile.

I stepped in and my eyes fell onto the tall figure in the tank of fluids. My mouth dropped open. "I think they didn't get it right when they said a small difference, Grace."

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**What do you think?" =) leave a review!  
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	5. Chapter 5

**AN: I updated! I'm so proud of myself...Review please! *holds out hands***

**Note: Sorry about the scare I gave in the last chapter. River's avatar isn't a girl. It's blond and has lighter skin.  
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**Five **

"How do you feel, River?" Grace's voice came through the speakers and I blinked a couple of times, trying to get rid of the big blob of white in front of my vision.

"Vitals are all normal. He's stable." The voice of a man sounded next to me and I felt someone shine a flashlight into my left eye. The harsh light made my eyelid twitch in response and I closed my eye, using my hand to bat away the doctor. Then the light blue color of the skin came into my fuzzy vision.

"Oh my god, I really am in my fucking avatar!" I couldn't help the loud exclamation. The doctors gave a few amused chuckles and I turned to Grace. "How do I look?" I asked as I stood up. she gave me a thumbs up from behind the observation glass and I stood up, the tail behind me whipping around.

"You should sit down before you knock down any of our equipments." The steely voice of a woman made me go still and I smiled at her sheepishly before sitting down. They took several more tests before pulling the cords off my chest and arms. I turned to see Grace tapping the glass. She pointed to the door on the side and I grinned as I moved toward it.

The fresh cool air was oddly refreshing on my heated skin and I let out a high whoop as I bolted from the observation room. It was the first time on Pandora that I didn't have to wear a mask. The other memories of being painfully small and weak comparing to the planet all seemed to fade from my mind as I took a huge lungful of fresh air. I felt oddly free in my avatar. A hand on my arm pulled me from my thoughts and I turned around t see Jake standing behind me. He grinned and yanked one of my long braids playfully.

"Wipe that stupid grin off your face, River. It's so unprofessional." He smirked and I immediately schooled my features into one of hideous woe and he snorted. "Well, you seem to have gotten the facial nerves worked out."

"Dude, seriously, how do I look?" I asked him and took a few steps back so he could get a fuller look. Jake smiled and shrugged.

"You look bright, you know, like a daisy or a light bulb. I'm sure Tsu'tey won't notice a thing." He said finally and gave me a playful wink. I frowned and tugged on a piece of long hair. Truth to say, I was a bit shocked when the normally dark haired avatar came out with a head of golden blond locks and paler skin than the rest of the others. But like Grace said, thankfully it hadn't turned out to be a girl. I was a bit curious as to how they managed to make my hair color stick stubbornly to my avatar. Hopefully it didn't have anything to do with my stubborn nature.

Jake chose that moment to reach forward and poke me in the stomach quite hard. He grinned and set off toward one of the fields. I growled and ran off after him, my braids flying behind me. I was surprise how effortless it was to cover such long distances in such short time. I grabbed one of the purple fruits from the waist-high plants and hurled it toward Jake. The soft fruit smacked against the back of his head and I grinned as I called out to the slightly shocked figure.

"Yep, just as I expected, your head's hollow alright."

He laughed and our positions reversed as he set off after me.

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I stalked silently though the forest, the sounds greeting me felt softer and friendlier and I felt confidence well in my chest as I ducked under a tall shrub. My avatar wasn't the tallest one in the lab but I had gotten used to movement and walking a lot faster than the others so I found myself back on Pandora after two days of shooting hoops in the training camp. The shirt clung uncomfortably over my chest and I almost wished I had taken it off but I pushed the thought to the back of my head as I drew closer to my destination.

I gently brushed aside a large hanging leaf and set my eyes on the figure crouched in the clearing. Tsu'tey was bent over his kill silently, murmuring his gratitude before digging the sharp blade into the soft fur. I took a moment to admire his muscles like a geeky kid staring at one of the underwear models back on Earth before reaching for a piece of rock by my side.

Tsu'tey's head snapped up as the rock sailed past his shoulder. His hair rattled as he followed the rustling bushes and froze, inhaling softly, but I was already prepared and chose a spot where the wind wouldn't give away my spot. His golden eyes narrowed as he tensed, the hunting knife ready at his side.

"Neytiri?" the low hiss was slightly tentative as if he wasn't sure if it really was the princess. I grinned and pressed a hand over my mouth to stop the giggle that was threatening to break free. After a few seconds, he lowered his head and focused his attention on the kill again. I grabbed another rock and shifted. This time the rock hit his left shoulder and Tsu'tey hissed in anger as he looked up again. I grinned and crouched back down in my hiding place. That was revenge for being so rough in the two week of training while I was still in my human meat suit. I stuck my tongue out and grinned at my reflection in the puddle by my left foot.

Large blue eyes glittered back at me with a mischievous air and I turned to grab another rock and froze when I saw Tsu'tey was no longer in the clearing. The pale deer was still there but he was gone. Ok, this was not a good thing. I frowned and squinted through the thick leaves, my fingers playing with the rock absently. There was no sighs of him but I was sure he was still around. After all, he never left the kills to rot. That would be too much of a waste.

"Damn, where the fuck are you?" I muttered under my breath and shifted on my slightly numb legs. Then the cool feeling of a knife at my throat made me freeze.

"Looking for me?" the low pissed-off murmur in my ear caused me to grin in embarrassment. "Why don't you tell me who in the world you are? Another avatar?"

The knife fell to my back and stayed there. I took a deep breath and chuckled nervously. "You really hurt my feelings, Tsu'tey. Already forgot who I am after a few days?"

I turned my head to flash him a grin. For moment, utter shock crossed his features. Then it was gone to be replaced by a bland expression as he raised an eyebrow. He gave a shove and I lost my balance as I sprawled into the clearing. Tsu'tey stood gracefully and snorted in disgust.

"What?" I snapped as I dusted off my shirt. He shrugged and walked over to his kill again. Black locks spilled down to cover his face as he bent down again.

"I knew your mental capacities haven't changed at all," he started and looked up at me with an incredulous expression. "Throwing rocks?"

I poked my tongue out and sat back. After a while of silently working on getting the fur off the deer, he looked up again, his eyes silently taking in my form. He snorted again before bending down. I glared and flung a stock of grass at him.

"What's so funny?" I demanded with a small flush. I knew my hair color was a bit odd but he didn't have to be such a jerk about it. He shook his head.

"What's with the blinding colors?" he finally said and I shrugged. We sat in silence for a while and I kept throwing small blade of grass at him and he kept ignoring me. After a while, Tsu'tey finally stood up and tucked the knife into the sheath. He picked up the kill and slung it over his shoulder. I stood as well, wincing as blood rushed into my numb legs.

"You'll be back tomorrow?" he asked without turning back and I gave a small confirmation. Tsu'tey turned and gave me a rather nasty smirk. "Now that you got your avatar, you'd better get ready. Tomorrow's going to be one hell of a day for you. If you think you've seen the worst, think again."

And without another word, he disappeared into the woods. I groaned and trudged after him. Now I really wished I was under Neytiri's instructions. Lucky Jake.

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**Review and tell me how you think! =)**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: An update! Review please! I love everyone's comments! special thanks to ReflectiveMuse for the very nice reviews! XD**

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Chapter Six**

**Day one**

The bushes to my left rustled slightly in the moist breeze and I blinked away the wet drops of rain that had dribbled down from the heavy plantation overhead. I was currently crouched in a thick bush and knee-deep in slime. It was so not the perfect day.

The large deer I had been trailing wandered father into the trees and I groaned mentally as I let the bow loosen in my fingers. Why couldn't I just make the shot? It was my first time hunting without Tsu'tey's guidance. He had said it was part of the training. For five days, I was to hunt like the rest of the warriors and feed the clan. It was a heavy task and because I was a newbie, it was best to steer clear of the heavily populated areas. God knows even a baby Na'vi could shoot an arrow faster than me.

"Bring a kill back or don't come back at all…" I grimaced and repeated Tsu'tey's words under my breath sarcastically. "I'll show you, you stupid blue skinned idiot!"

I shot out of the thicket and slung the arrow into the slot in the bow, aimed at the startled deer and pulled. A perfect shot! I grinned to myself and waited for the deer to fall.

The thing just bent back down and started munching on the grass again. I blinked in shock and squinted through the light rain. To my utter amazement, I had slung arrow backwards in my haste to prove myself. My shoulders slumped. Wow, Tsu'tey's words were right. I was one of a kind. The stupid kind.

Damn, even the stupid deer was no longer afraid of me. I grimaced and let myself fall back onto the ground. This part of the forest was far from the Hometree and I was certain none of the mighty hunters bothered to wander this far from the clan. I sighed and threw a rock into the wet mud. It made a small wet plop as it sank slowly.

Why couldn't I be like Jake? He acted like he had been born a true Na'vi and me…well; I was like a fish out of water. No, I was always like a fish out of water, whether I was on earth or on Pandora. It had been exactly four days since I had gotten my avatar and still, I wasn't what I had imagined myself to be.

_"No matter where you go, you'll always be trash, a useless pile of trash with no background or money!" _

So maybe they were right, no matter where I went, I always managed to mess something up. I sighed again and stood up, not bothering to hide myself. The shrubs rustled as I walked toward the fallen arrow. The deep had long gone and I looked around, hoping that another one could pop out like a daisy.

Nothing happened. Just as I expected.

I trudged through the forest slowly, wandering father and father away from the Hometree. There was a slight difference in the plantation. Here, they were much taller and had thick sharp thorns poking out from their thick trunks. I frowned as something white caught my eye. I walked over to take a closer look.

Bones. Long pieces of bones glittered in the rain, scattered around randomly. They glowed with an eerie light and I gulped. Not far from where I stood, the deer I had been tracking for so long was lying there unmoving. Its neck was twisted in an odd angle and there were claw marks on its hide. I glanced around slowly, the sun was setting and I still hadn't gotten a prey. My eyes flickered back to the dead deer and I took several steps forward slowly, the bow raised. There was no movement and I forced the heavy feeling of fear down as I moved closer to the deer. There was no open wound on the body and I reached down, gripping the fur firmly before hoisting it onto my shoulder, offering a silent thanks to whoever had killed the deer for me.

At least I wouldn't be scolded by Tsu'tey for coming back empty-handed. Besides, there was still four days left. It wouldn't be that hard to catch something, right?

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**Day two**

I tried to keep the feeling of discomfort down as I wandered closer to the fire. The whole clan was gathered about, celebrating the union between two Na'vi. I sat back and watched the natives dance around the bonfire. The newlyweds had wreaths of flowers braided into their long hair and had weird symbols painted on their faces. I smiled slightly when a playful Neytiri dragged a startled Jake into the throng of writhing bodies.

I still didn't manage to catch prey today and somehow my feet carried me to that part of the forest again. Just as I had hoped, there was anther freshly killed deer lying in the clearing full of bones. And so today's task was completed earlier than I expected.

"So, tell us, how did you manage to hunt down a deer without even using an arrow?" a sharp elbow jabbed my side and I blinked as a female Na'vi blinked at me from under thick black lashes. Her narrow face was smiling with a hint of interest. I blinked and gave her a faintly confused look.

"Yes, pray tell us. I'm dreadfully curious as well." Tsu'tey's voice cut in and I turned to face him. The tall Na'vi settled himself down next to me gracefully and shot me a dark look. "I'm curious as to know how you managed to improve so suddenly. One day you couldn't separate the sharp tip of an arrow from the blunt end even if your life depended on it and the next; you're bringing back prey as if you're a seasoned professional."

I scowled as the female Na'vi gave a tittering laugh. My brain fought to think up something as Tsu'tey watched me unblinkingly.

"Umm…well, I was hunting by the outcrop, you know, the one with the large ledge and uh, well, I chased it down the cliff and when I got there, the deer was dead." I tried to smile but couldn't exactly meet Tsu'tey's eyes. He snorted and muttered something under his breath before turning back to the bonfire. I watched him closely and saw a flicker of sadness appear on his face as he watched Neytiri and Jake. The atmosphere became kind of awkward and I turned to entertain the small female Na'vi next to me.

Neytiri's bell-like laughter floated over to us and I heard Tsu'tey give a frustrated growl before standing up and pushing his way out of the crowd. I frowned.

"What's the matter with him?" I turned and asked the small Na'vi next to me. She sighed and shot me a knowing look.

"Neytiri and Tsu'tey were bonded together at birth. They are to become mates." She explained and I gave an 'oh' of surprise. No wonder he was mad all the time. I stood up and followed Tsu'tey into the trees. When I finally caught up to him, he was sitting atop a thick branch staring at the large white emerald like moon. I paused slightly.

"Come to make fun of me, River?" he asked with his back to me. His voice was oddly husky as if he had been shouting. I let out an exasperated huff and joined him on the branch. The wood gave a moan of protest as I sat down and swung my legs a bit.

"Comfort you, silly. I'm not that evil, you know." I rolled my eyes and yanked on one of his braids. He hissed in agitation. I sighed as he turned his head away from me.

"You know, life isn't always fair…" I said slowly, my eyes focused on the bright moon. "I mean, look at me for example. Ever since I was young, I've been shunned by my own kind. There's not much to like in a kid that lost his parents and had to live in the streets."

Tsu'tey remained silent, so I went on.

"Well, my parents weren't all noble and such. My mom died because of drugs and my dad, well, he drank too much one day and never came back. My childhood was…well it was shit. But I still didn't give up because I had a dream. The first time I saw Pandora, I was only ten but it's always been my dream to come here and look at me now. My dream came true." I grinned at him and he snorted but relaxed slightly.

"You might be wondering why I'm telling you this but it's true. If you love Neytiri, you should try your best to win her affection instead of sulking here all alone… you're better at this than Jake." I paused and swallowed slightly. "But don't tell Jake I said that, ok?"

He snorted and I smiled slightly, swinging my legs happily on the branch. "The moon is so round and bright, don't you think? Ahh! Tsutey!-"

There was a loud crack and the branch broke cleanly under my weight. Since I was sitting on the thinner part, I was the only one affected. My hands shot out frantically and Tsu'tey's eyes widened as he reached for me without thinking. I yanked him off the tree as well and we both fell down into the thick foliage with loud cracks. The thick leaves and vegetation cushioned our fall and somehow I ended up in Tsu'tey's arms so he was the one that met the ground.

"Umm…should I apologize for dragging you down as well?" I squirmed on top of him, my legs straddling his legs. Long bits of blond tresses stuck to my face and there was something slimy trailing down my cheek. I watched as Tsu'tey picked the slimy glowing slug off my face. he laughed for the first time in front of me, his warm calloused fingers trailing down my cheek. I stared at him in disbelief.

"Thank you…" he finally whispered and squeezed my arm slightly. I was still in shock when he gently set me down and stood up. He turned with a rare smile and offered me his hand.

"You know, luminescent slug trails can't wash off if they dry…" his eyes flickered to my face and I touched the goo with a shriek of horror.

"You have got to be kidding me!"

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**Reviews! love you guys!**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: AN UPDATE! I know it may feel like I've died already but I assure you I haven't. THIS FIC WILL HAVE AN ENDING! WHOOT! Its just that I'm applying for a scholarship and I really need to work hard on my grades, so no time for this... But it's summer so I will update more often, maybe even DAILY IF THERE ARE ENOUGH REVIEWS. Anyhow, I apologise for the long wait.**

**THIS IS SLASH! DON'T LIKE DON'T READ. I DON'T OWN ANYTHING.**

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**Seven**

It was one of those nights, the ones where every one of the occupants of the Hometree sat around a huge fire and traded stories or sang songs in weird high pitched noises. I sat next Tsu'tey and poked him on and on about why he wasn't singing but apparently, Na'vi males were too pompous to sing and only broke out in song when they fell in love or something.

"So, tomorrow then?" I asked him softly and Tsu'tey turned to face me, the fire light reflected strangely in his large cat-like eyes. "Tomorrow I get to choose a mount and fly, you know like Jake?"

"yes." He replied shortly and turned his face back to the fire, his face carefully blank. Jake was laughing and singing in English in front of a highly amused Neytiri. I graced tsytey with a sympathetic pat to the shoulder and stood up.

The night air was too warm and musty and I wanted to cool off, so instead of going to the hammocks, I wandered off. The sounds around me reminded me how strange and exotic Pandora really was. Smiling and humming to myself, I set off further down the sloping path I had taken. Large glowing insects launched themselves off the thick green leaves all around me and I closed my eyes, feeling strangely at peace.

Then the buzzing stopped. Everything sopped, even the wind.

Goosebumps rippled along my arms and I felt the hairs at the back of my neck rise. The glowing bugs were no where to be seen and everything was strangely dark. I crouched down instinctively and looked around cautiously.

There was no source of light except for a couple of oddly glowing golden orbs to my left and I frowned. Taking a few steps toward the light source, I was suddenly hit with a strong whiff of blood. There was no way I'd mistake that smell because I had grown up, surrounded by the scent of blood.

Then something horrible dawned on me. The few dozen glowing orbs weren't just some florescent fungi, they were eyes.

Fucking eyes. Glowing.

Screw trying to be a man and finding out what that thing was, I turned in the opposite direction and hightailed it out of there, heart leaping in my chest as I ran.

That night, even after breaking the link between my avatar and human form, I still couldn't sleep easy. Whatever that thing was, it was definitely not friendly.

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"Today, you will be choosing your Ikran. This is the last step to becoming a hunter of our clan." Tsu'tey spoke slowly as he walked among us. I was standing between two other Na'vi while he told us of the procedures. I was feeling a bit sick to the stomach after he finished and whooped half-heartedly as the two other natives gave short shrieking cries of excitement. Just because I used to be in the Navy didn't mean I liked being there and this sounded a bit too dangerous for my liking.

"Pay attention, River." A short smack to the back of my head made me look up with a wounded expression and Tsu'tey gave a slightly exasperated hiss as he turned to the trees.

"Are all warriors supposed to have an Ikran?"

"Yes." Tsu'tey gave several sharp whistles and I winced when I realized I had voiced my question aloud. He turned around calmly and fixed me with a flat glare. "And they are destined to choose one another."

The journey to the 'Banshee's lair ' as Jake had called it, was nothing short of impossible. I was a brave soldier in my field days but I wasn't stupid and climbing onto thin ropes suspended over hundreds of feet up in the air was considered suicide to me. Tsu'tey spent a good quarter of an hour trying to pry my fingers off a tree trunk when I lied that they were glued to the bark. He had threatened to leave without me or personally shove me off the cliff before I reluctantly let go of the tree and followed him. The climb took almost hours and by the time we arrived at the end of the cave, my legs were threatening to give out and I was using the bow in my hand as a cane to support my trembling limbs. Tsu'tey flexed his shoulders unconsciously and I glowered at him. He didn't seem tired at all. I offered a forced smile when Tsu'tey's eyes landed on me and he hesitated.

"Just…just give me one…minute." I wheezed pathetically and took a few gulps of air. The Na'vi rolled his eyes and took the bow from the other native.

"Yak'su will go first. Observe, River." I followed him as he nimbly eased himself off the narrow cliff wall and followed carefully. My eyes widened at the sight of the hundreds and thousands of flying creatures currently perched on the rocks. Yak'su quickly found the one he was looking for and I remembered Jake's words when he had come back from his own journey.

_You'll know that they chose you when they try to kill you._

I gulped and watched in awe as the Na'vi easily tamed the Ikran. Tsu'tey offered his congratulations and sent the rider and the Ikran off the cliff. I watched with rapt attention as the next Na'vi stepped forward.

A few minutes later, Tsu'tey and I were the only ones still on the cliff. He turned to me and took my bow from me. I took a deep breath and stepped forward. The banshees scattered around me and dove off the cliff without even looking at me. I had taken almost twenty steps and still none of them showed any interest in me. Whichever one I looked at turned and fled from the cliff. I was at the end of the cliff when the last Ikran jumped off with a loud piercing shriek.

"This…this is normal isn't it?" I tried to drown out the nasty thumping of my heart and turned to stare at Tsu'tey. The rocky cliff was bare except for the two of us. Something akin to pity flashed in his eyes and I felt my blood boil.

It wasn't fair.

The moment I had seen Jake come back hand in hand with Neytiri, Ikrans at their backs, I felt it. The need to prove myself. I was Jake's equal so why couldn't I make Tsu'tey proud of me? Just like Neytiri was proud of Jake. In the past few days, I had trained harder than any of them, proved myself in all fields and finally, grudgingly, Tsu'tey had accepted me, at least allowed me to follow his steps.

"River…" Tsu'tey's words were soft, not his usual sarcastic tone. I clinched my fists and turned, forcing a smile on to my face.

"There…there must be another rock, you know…somewhere else I can find one. There…" I took a deep breath and Tsu'tey sighed.

"The warriors are destined to find their mounts here." he finally said.

"Fuck destiny!" I kicked at a rock and winced as tears welled in my eyes, blurring the world into a mess of colors. I ducked my head. "I don't belong on earth, I can't fucking find a place here…why?"

I looked up at the tall Na'vi. Tsu'tey was the first to look away. I laughed sarcastically.

"You never believed me did you?" he remained silent but I went on. I needed to vent out some of this frustration. "You're always so prejudiced toward me. You people think I' so thickheaded as to not understand the looks sent my way but how blind do you fucking think I am?"

Tsu'tey didn't look angry, instead the shamed expression was far worse and I felt like someone had taken a hot iron and pressed it against my exposed heart. I took an unsteady step back when he moved forward and the rock beneath my foot just took that moment to crumble and give way. I didn't even try to regain my balance, letting gravity take me into her arms. Well, I was about to fly, wasn't I?

"NO!" Tsu'tey roar made my eyes snap back to his face and I blinked as he launched himself toward me, taking a large leap and giving a shrill whistle as he plunged off the cliff after me. Strong arms encircled my shoulders and then we were both falling. I buried my face against the crook of his neck and let myself go limp.

There was an answering whistle and I heard the flapping of wings around me. Then something hard collided with our falling bodies and there was a sickening feeling in my stomach as we suddenly stopped falling. Tsu'tey still had his one arm tight around my shoulder, the other reached out to pat his mount, making clicking noises with his mouth.

I buried myself further against his neck, keeping my face hidden as the other two new warriors flew close to us. They seemed curious why I was missing my mount, but the angry hiss from Tsu'tey had them falling back and putting some distance between us. I knew that he knew that I was crying. Yeah yeah, laugh all you want. I'm a crybaby.

But he didn't say a word and we kept flying until all I could hear were the sounds of the wind against my ears and his slow but strong pulse beating beneath his blue skin. There was a sharp turn and we landed rather roughly. Tsu'tey didn't make me let go of him, nor did he say anything. He just jumped off the mount with me latched to his chest like a freaky pair of Siamese twins. Then he perched himself on a nearby rock and we just sat there for what seemed like eternity, with the wind running through my blond hair and the sound of a distant waterfall drumming on my ears.

My manliness decided to kick in after a few minutes and I shoved myself away from him, wiping angrily at my face with two fists. He grabbed my wrists and after I was sure I couldn't break free of his hold, I went still, my cheeks burning with embarrassment.

Gently tipping my face up to look at him, he gave a half smile and started whispering things in his native language while stroking his thumbs across my cheeks and wiping the moisture away. I didn't really understand anything he was saying and gave up after a few syllables. Learning languages just wasn't my thing. But whatever he was saying sort of calmed me down and I sat there, letting him stroke my cheeks and closed my eyes, the wind dancing on my skin.

"You are a warrior in my heart." He suddenly said in English and my eyes snapped open.

"Come again?" I said after a seconds pause, my almost drunken brain didn't seem to believe what I just heard.

He just rolled his eyes and gave me that familiar exasperated look and took his hands off my face after a painful pinch to both cheeks. I watched Tsu'tey pull his hair back and untie the necklace around his throat. He smiled as he looked down upon the string of blue and white rocks strung with a milky string. Then turning to me, he beckoned me close and gently wrapped it around my neck before tying it. His fingers brushing my skin made me shiver slightly and the stones were still warm with his heat.

"My warrior." He said and I smiled as he pressed our foreheads together, ignoring the flutter in my chest.

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**AN: Review? LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU ALL!  
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	8. Chapter 8

AN: I have watched the moive again and again to continue this fic...and I will finish it by the nd of summer, I hope. Some parts are not really according to the movie and I ahve decided to delay the attack from the humans, so that River can get himself hurt first. Wink* Ignore the spoilers

Rating: T (THIS CHAP)

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**Eight**

"River, Quaritch wants a word." I had barely stepper out of the shower when someone tapped the glass door to my pod-like dorm room.

"Wait, why?" I poked my head out and the guy turned back to give me a shrug.

"Don't know, but he seems to be in a bad mood. I feel for you man."

I frowned. Had I done something wrong? Was there a reason for him to be angry with me? Technically Quaritch wasn't my commanding officer but Jones had not been qualified for the program so I basically report to Quaritch anyway, but...

I scratched my head and shrugged mentally as I threw on an old army t-shirt and jeans. I found him in the empty hall where he'd first introduced Pandora to us, sitting with his back to me.

"Come here, son." oh boy. The guy called me son. I took a deep breath to settle my jumpy nerves and walked up to him.

"sit." he gestured to the seat next to him and we sat there side by side for a few awkward moments. I swear he could probably hear my heart thumping.

"Sir, have I done something wrong." ok I was sick of the dramatic silence game and spoke up.

He turned to me with a sharp suspicious glint in his eye. "Do you think you've done something wrong?"

I shook my head. He narrowed his eyes. Silence fell again and I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Ever since the failed attempt to become an ikran rider, I had been feeling agitated all the time, sharp bursts of anger accompanied by the urge to hit something. Jake told me it was the wounded caveman in my chest howling in indignation. It didn't make much sense.

"I want you to move to the base camps Grace Augustine has set up on the planet. Their activities lately have been... unsatisfactory. I need someone I can trust to keep me informed and to keep them in line." he said suddenly. I opened my mouth to object.

"Don't say no, or I may just pull you out of the program." Quaritch stood and dusted off his shirt. "Oh, and I'm promoting you to captain. Don't disappoint me kid. You might not like the results."

I frowned at his retreating back. Ok, my caveman had finally met an even bigger caveman. I sighed in defeat.

Later that afternoon, after packing whatever belongings I had left, Trudy showed up to take me to camp. It was both odd and exhilarating to hear people calling me sir and such in the corridors because apparently news traveled fast around here and nearly everyone knew I had been promoted. Trudy just gave me a bland look.

"Disgusting aren't they, sucking up to the higher-ups like maggots crawling over-"

"Ok I get your point." I said, giving her a reproachful look. She grinned and did a dramatic bow.

"Up you go, oh greatest of jarheads."

I chuckled dryly and hopped in.

You can imagine the look of surprise on Jake's face when he opened the door to my grinning face. Trudy elbowed him out of the way, muttering about needing a cigarette. Jake and I stared awkwardly at each other for a moment before I stooped down and gave him a stiff one-armed man-hug.

"So, guess you're here to stay?" he asked as I stepped inside. Grace Augustine was giving a suspicious look as I set down my one and only bag on a nearby table.

"Yep." I bumped knuckles with Jake good-naturedly and tried to surprises the feeling of guilt welling up inside my chest.

Later that night, as we were eating micro-waved mush, Jake sighed. I knew there was something weighing him down so I waited pa5iently for him to speak.

"Have you ever wished that you could just stay in your avatar for real, like become your avatar?" he finally asked. I swallowed a bite of the tasteless rice and shrugged.

"Yeah, I suppose so. Why, is this about your upcoming ceremony?"

He sighed again and shook his head. "I don't know, I just feel like what we are doing...this lying to the Na'vi is wrong."

My heart skipped a beat. Ok, so Quaritch had his reasons to be suspicious after all. But I truly didn't have an answer to his problem, so I kept quiet and shoved the rest of the food down my throat.

The next morning was the time of Jake's ceremony, where he would be accepted into the clan forever. We woke extra early and prepared for the link.

"So, feeling nervous?" I asked him casually as I slipped into a new t-shirt. Jake gave a stiff laugh.

"Not so much as I would have expected. Hey do you think Tsu'tey would be mad about me being accepted into the clan? He's so hostile to me."

I raised my eyebrow at him and threw the dirty shirt at his face. "You've been treading on his tail for weeks. Why turn into a sensitive girl all of a sudden? Besides, he's kind of alright to me. We get along fine."

"That's because you flirt with him all the time." Jake shot back.

"You're being a sensitive girl again." I picked him off his wheelchair, ignoring his protests of 'I can do it myself'. "And we don't flirt. You and the princess do. I'll see you on the other side."

Ignoring his middle finger, I laid back and pulled the lid over my body.

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The Na'vi people believe that a person is born twice; the second time is when you earn your place among the people forever.

I watched by the shade of the tree as entire spread white paint over Jake's skin, whispering words to him in a voice only they could hear. They created a nice picture together.

Grace wandered over to me and I greeted her with a small nod. Her eyes fell on my neck.

"Where did you get those stones?" she asked in an odd voice.

"Tsu'tey gave them to me." I shrugged, not taking my eyes off Jake. "It's a bit girly I know, but-"

"No, you do not know how big of an honor it is for a Na'vi to receive another's birth stones. It means placing complete trust and faith in the receiver. Although, it is most common among mates..." she trailed off. I wasn't really paying attention to her and the words didn't to register to me.

There was a sharp whistle and I looked up to see Tsu'tey standing a few feet away from me. He beckoned to me and I excused myself, ignoring Dr. Augustine's shocked expression.

"You look filthy, River. I would clean you myself if there were time." he gave me a disgusted look when I jogged closer but his fingers were gentle as they brushed a few strands of blond out of my face. I listened carefully to his instructions about what to do during the ceremony. I was to put my hands on his shoulders after he puts his on Jake's shoulders or something like that.

After the ceremony came the dancing. Let's just say I made my ancestors proud by not stepping into the bonfire and wining the award for stepping on nearly everybody's tail. I was still chuckling and my ears were buzzing pleasantly as I sat down next to an unfamiliar Na'vi woman. She turned and offered me more of the sweet spicy nectar-like drink that was making me feel so high. I grinned and downed the whole thing. Neytiri was laughing and whispering in Jake's ear. Tsu'tey was nowhere to be seen. I watched Neytiri take Jake by the hand and lead him off into the trees.

"So, I have heard that you are not a hunter." the woman slid over to join me. I frowned a little but smiled again when she offered me more of the drink. She smirked cat-like in its beauty and leaned closer to whisper in my ear. "I don't mind that, I'm a very good hunter..."

She trailed a warm finger down my abdomen. I stared at her for a second and puckered my lips stupidly. The next second someone had fisted my hair and was dragging me backward.

"Hey what the hell?" I squirmed and something snagged on my loincloth. The flimsy knot came loose and the hard ground met my unprotected ass. The pressure against my head didn't cease until that somebody dunked my head into cold water. I choked and flailed.

"I think the drinks may have gone to your head, you should cool down a bit." Tsu'tey's steely voice floated disoriented into my waterlogged head. I groaned.

The head dunking lasted several painful minutes and I was gasping for breath by the time he stopped. Anger rose to replace the happiness I had felt and I lunged at him, ignoring the fact that I was buck-naked.

"Fuck you asshole! Just because Neytiri's not into you, you didn't have to vent out your anger on me!" I caught him by surprise and we collapsed onto the ground. I was slapping scratching uncoordinatedly at every bit of bare skin I could reach. Tsu'tey twisted underneath me, his hands trying to hold me still.

"At least she liked me..." I muttered underneath my breath. He went completely still for a second then sighed in frustration.

"No one dislikes you, river."

"Yes you do. I can't believe I defended you when Jake said you were a heartless prick." I said coldly.

"Did you?" Tsu'tey sounded awfully smug for some reason. I twisted above him uncomfortably and couldn't help the little gasp of surprise that escaped my lips when I slid against his thigh. Tsu'tey looked down and a vein pulsed in his neck.

"How can you manage to loose your loin cloth, River?"

In a second, I was flipped unceremoniously onto the moist earth and Tsu'tey was atop me, his hands securing my wrists over my head. I stared stupidly up at him and smiled.

Something in Tsu'tey's eyes darkened and he tightened his grip over my hands, grinding bones together hard enough to hurt. I winced and closed my eyes as he leaned down...

Then his weight was gone. I opened my eyes and stared up at the starry night. Had I imagined that bit or was Tsu'tey really going to do something? Because I was certain whatever it was, that hard thing pressing into my thigh was definitely not a dagger. I looked down between my naked legs and groaned.

"Down boy."

Somewhere nearby, something growled.

I ran for it.

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**REVIEW? How was it? I feel a little anxious.**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Sorry for the wait. I was really busy with school. Review and enjoy.**

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**Nine**

I stopped and cocked my head, listening hard past the rustle of leaves moving in the breeze. There it was again, that odd crackling sound of something heavy treading on the forest ground behind me. Something was following me. I tightened. My grip on the dagger at my waist and listened harder. The normally deafening sounds of the forest were suddenly gone, leaving behind a disconcerting silence. My heart fell. Ok, chances that it was just a cute cuddly bunny were dismally low. I took a deep breath and steadied my nerves.

So big question was, do I double back and find out who or what my mysterious stalker was or do I hightail it out of there before I peed my loincloth in distress? What the hell. I took a flying leap at the nearest tree and jumped into its thick foliage, with the dagger gripped firmly between my teeth, I climbed toward the sky. There was a loud frustrated rustle as if the thing stalking me had realized I was gone. I leaped onto a protruding branch and looked down, catching a glimpse of something pitch black and grotesquely huge slithering through the greenery at great speed. My heart lurched. Definitely not a cute cuddly bunny alright. Feeling somewhat hesitant to go back down onto the ground, I ended up squatting on the tree until my thighs went numb before returning to camp empty handed. The "stalking bunny" had dragged my kill away. I was in a horrible mood when I stalked back to the Tree.

Tsu'tey was attending to his ikran when I returned. The animal took one look at me, uttered several shrill cries and launched itself off the ground in a violent spasm of wings. Tsu'tey hissed as a wing swatted his head. He turned to me with an exasperated and bewildered expression.

"What happened to you?" he asked curiously. I wiped my face and shrugged. I knew I looked terrible but I didn't feel like sharing my thoughts with him at the moment. The things between us were just too weird. Just looking at Tsu'tey made my heart seize and my throat swell with some foreign emotion i didn't really want to explore at the moment. But the good thing was that he didn't seem to hate me anymore, though liking me was still a long shot.

I was hot, tired and my thighs felt like I had done a few rounds atop a bucking bull. To my relief, he didn't ask any more, just followed me silently. A few Navi women glanced at us, their eyes dancing and they giggled behind their hands. I frowned and scratched my head. We ended up sitting side by side on a thick branch, bathed in the setting glow of the sun. I glanced at my hands and he sat perfectly still, waiting for me to speak.

I hadn't forgotten my place, of course I hadn't. How could I? I was human, I worked for RDA Corps. I reported to Quaritch and I fucking had to locate the whereabouts of their precious mineral. And yet... I looked up and studied Tsu'tey's face. In the dying glows of the sun, he looked peaceful, eyes focused on the horizon. My fingers twitched involuntarily. I wanted to touch his cheek, trace the patterns under his blue skin. I wanted desperately for someone to just accept me. I wanted to feel like I belonged somewhere. I clinched my fingers into fists and took a few deep breaths.

"Sorry I didn't come back with food." I mumbled finally. He gave a low rumbling laugh and studied my face with his sharp alien eyes. I ducked my head.

"No one will go hungry without your share, River. We have plenty for today." he said softly. I chuckled bitterly. Right, useless River, never fitting in, never...

"...thinks you smell like a fierce predator." a sharp elbow to my side brought me back to the present. I blinked at him.

"What?"

"My ikran thinks you smell strongly of a shadow creature. A pure predator. That was why he flew off so suddenly today." Tsu'tey said, eyes narrowing as he studied me. "Are you in trouble, River?"

I remembered the giant sleek black thing in the forest today and felt the hair at the back of my neck rise. Come to think of it, I had been having a weird feeling of being watched for a long time now. Tsu'tey watched me with questioning eyes. I laughed dryly.

"Umm, what was it that he thought was following me?" I asked, feeling a sense of dread.

Tsu'tey studied me for another long moment before answering. "We do not speak of it nor does it have a name. Very few of my people have ever encountered it and all perished. It is an ancient creature of evil and death."

I gulped and frowned. "What does it look like?"

Tsu'tey's face matched my expression. "Huge, black and monstrously fast I should think, if the legends serve to be accurate."

Check, check, fucking check. Ok, it all fit. I felt very much like puking. I banged my head against the trunk of the tree. Life just couldn't cease to fuck with me, could it? Tsu'tey didn't look convinced when I told him I was perfectly fine.

That night, as Jake and I were signing off, I made up my mind. There was no way I was going to stand around and let the thing, what ever it was, finish me off. I wasn't going to go quietly, no. If I was to die, then I was going to drag it down with me.

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The next few days, I gathered my supplies in secret, sturdy ropes and sharp hooks and such. The plan was fairly simple. All I had to do was lure the thing into my trap and... Oh, what the hell, I was probably going to die horribly.

Thinking about it made my stomach lurch, so I shoved it to the back of my mind and thoroughly enjoyed the last few days I could spend in Tsu'tey's company. I listened intently to everything he taught me and let my eyes linger on him longer that it was necessary, trying almost desperately to imprint his image into my retinas. I wasn't ready to identify any of those weird feeling in my chest so I ignored them and concentrated on making some last memories. Ok, yeah that sounded so fucking bleak, but hey, what was a dying guy suppose to do? Cry like a baby? Hell no, I'd rather die.

Then it came, the day I had chosen for my little field trip to hell. It was mid afternoon when I felt the thing. It was tailing me again. I had been ambling around the forest all day, making random trips and bringing down a few animals. I didn't want to waste anything, just enough to catch its attention. And sure enough, it was here.

My heart leapt to my throat and I forced myself to keep nonchalant, trekking through the forest at a calm pace. I was starting to circle back to my trap. Over the last few days or so, I had rigged a haphazard trap at the edge of a cliff point with all the grace of a dying elephant. I sent a silent prayer to God and realized that he probably couldn't hear me this far away. I sighed and continued to approach my mark.

Something rustled in the bushes next to me. I stopped and gripped my reinforced spear tightly. There was no way I was going to go down without a fight. Something blue flashed in the corner of my vision and I turned just in time to see Tsu'tey appear, a thunderous frown on his face. He had been tailing me. My jaw dropped. He glared at me and opened his mouth to say something. I shoved him hard, feeling desperation rise in my heart like burning acid.

"You shouldn't be here!" I hissed at him. He crossed his arms and opened his mouth again. I grabbed his hand and dragged him toward my trap, thinking desperately that. We would probably be safer there. Tsu'tey moved closer to me, his body radiating heat and his eyes showing concern. I felt my heart thump painfully in my chest. There was no way I was going to drag him into this.

Something roared behind us. The sound was so deafening it made my ears pop. He stiffened next to me, groping for his arrows. I gripped Tsu'tey's hand and started to run. He stumbled after me, our breaths sounded so loud in my ears. The thing was going to catch up, and then it would... No, River, don't think like that.

We stumbled toward my makeshift trap. The trees behind us shook violently and birds of all colours and sizes burst into the air. It was getting impatient. The necklace against my chest burned white hot against my skin. I ran on blindly, scanning the trees for my marks. Yes, it wasn't far.

We crashed into the clearing and I ducked behind a smartly concealed rope cord, dragging trusted behind me. I waited until the rustling grew as loud as I could bear and cut the cord. There was a black blur, the hissing of ropes and weights and then I heard the sound of impact and the surprised whine of the beast as my barbed net closed around it.

What I hadn't expected was the strength of the creature. There was a hideous snapping sound and one of the trees supporting my trap snapped cleanly in the middle. The beast lunged at us, the rope tightened around its throat and Tsu'tey shoved me behind him, shielding me from the beast. He squared his shoulders and slotted an arrow into his bow. I winced as I tried to stand, my ankle throbbed painfully. It was steadily swelling and I had no recollection of spraining it. The necklace was practically vibrating against my chest now. I wrapped my fingers around it and Tsu'tey seemed to shudder a little. He didn't look back at me. The arrow was focused unwaveringly on the huge black beast. It reminded me of a tiger, all agility and graceful movement. Huge teeth protruded from its mouth and it made another choked off growl. The cord around its neck was cutting off further speech.

I limped past Tsu'tey, ignoring his hiss of 'get back here, River!' I kept my eyes on the beast. It was struggling to breathe. I stared into the golden orbs and reached out a hand hypnotically. It jerked its head madly.

"You don't belong either, do you?" I said hoarsely. It was breathing harshly. I looked at its flank, marred with a crisscross of scars and old wounds. "They hurt you because you don't belong either..."

I was muttering almost to myself now. "We are the same... I took your prey and you saw me, you followed me. Do you wish to kill me?"

The beast gave another choked roar and bared its teeth again. My hand hovered inches from its nose. I was standing on tiptoes and it was crouching. The size difference made me wince internally. The beast stared at me with its intelligent eyes.

"If you try to hunt me, I will not go quietly. I will take you down with me. But that would be such a shame. You're so beautiful and terrible." I reached for spear and pressed it against the beast's throat. It convulsed and slowly closed its eyes.

"River, step away." Tsu'tey sounded shaken.

I closed my eyes and pressed my free hand on its muzzle. "Your life is not mine to take."

Then I snapped the cord around its neck with the sharp tip of my spear. Tsu'tey roared something at me and the beast's eyes snapped open. It charged and I felt blood explode over my tongue as its head meet my stomach. The spear went flying and Tsu'tey grabbed for me frantically. We were shoved unceremonious off the cliff. I felt horribly regretful that I didn't just kill the thing.

The wind howled against my ears and dirt stunned my eyes as we tumbled off the cliff. The beast stopped at the edge, it's tail slashing in triumph. I was probably imagining it but for a moment there I saw grudging respect in those golden orbs. Then it was gone and we were free falling.

Tsu'tey wrapped himself around me, his arms tight against my bruised stomach. We fell into the icy current with the impact of a garbage truck. My breath whooshed out in a stream of silver bubbles. Something felt broken. I saw crimson floating past my face.

Tsu'tey dragged my limp body onto a narrow stretch of bank. I gagged and coughed out blood. He pulled me toward him and I saw that there was a deep slash on his cheek.

"I'm s' sorry...s' s' orry..." I kept chanting the words, body shaking with cold. He pressed our forehead together and murmured alien words of comfort. The necklace against my chest throbbed warmly and it felt comforting. I could contain it no longer. Adrenaline coursed through my veins and my heart thumped painfully. I shut my eyes and closed the last few inches of space between our lips and kissed him.

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**Review? Anyone want a lemon? next chapter? =)**


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